Wednesday, January 21, 2009

YouBars....a nutrition bar created by YOU for YOU!

So as I was eating cardboard an energy bar one morning while rushing to get Cole and Bella ready for preschool, I caught a segment on the Today Show about the YouBar. It caught my attention when I heard "you can create your own personal nutrition bar"!!! Seriously?? Sign me up!!!

YouBar is a small California-based company founded by a mother-son team. Initially, they started making their own bars to their liking in their very own kitchen! The response from family and friends was overwhelming and YouBar came to be. Their products are so popular that they have been featured in countless magazines and newspapers.

I've tried just about every snack/energy bar and protein shake on the market and I've been less than impressed. But I like the idea of being able to grab a quick snack on the go or something that is fulfilling enough to eat as a meal if I don't have the time or desire to make a big meal. The key here, though, is I want it to be healthy, in addition to it tasting good. Some of the bars I've tried are either loaded with sugar or preservatives and some can be surprisingly high in calories. It just blows the healthy aspect out of the water. So not only are some not even healthy for you, they plain just don't taste good. What's the point of even bothering with it?

One of the owners of YouBar, Anthony, was kind enough to send me some samples of their most popular bars and shakes. Over the course of a week, I shared them with the kids and Tim. Our #1 favorite was the Best Bar, which tasted like a yummy oatmeal cookie with fruit in it. We also enjoyed the Honey Cashew bar, which also tasted like a cookie with the perfect amount of sweetness. The shakes were just as delicious, especially the Vanilla Dream and the Blended Bliss. The bars and shakes were all very satisfying and didn't leave me with that "okay, now what can I eat?" feeling an hour later, which I usually have after eating a snack/energy bar or drinking a protein shake.

Here's the great thing about YouBars....you can design your own snack/energy bar or shake!!! You can make it as healthy as you want...and you can pretty much guarantee you're gonna love it because it was created by YOU for YOU! If you have any special diet needs, such as being vegan, vegetarian, lactose-intolerant, or needing something gluten-free, no worries! You can still build a bar that suits your tastes and diet needs. One of the promises I made to myself for this new year was to take better care of myself, especially in terms of my health. I just got the results of my lipid panel back (yikes...yes, it was that bad!) and one of the ways I can lower my cholesterol is by adding more fiber, soy, flaxseeds and almonds to my diet. I love that with the YouBars I can incorporate those 4 items into my own nutrition bar and still enjoy a yummy, healthy snack or meal supplement, knowing I'm doing something good for my health.

So how do you know what the nutritional value of your bar is? The people at YouBar have thought of everything!! As you're building your bar, on the right side of your screen, you'll see the nutritional value of your bar as you add various items to it. They've made it so easy to create a bar, while keeping nutritional content in mind.

Once you have completed building your YouBar, you can click on the "taste tester" and it will give you suggestions on things you might want to consider adding in order to make your bar even better tasting and/or give it a better texture. And the final step in the building process is giving your bar a name! Yes, YOU get to choose the name of your bar...how cool is that!

If you're not sure of what to put in your bar, they have a toll-free number you can call to speak with someone who can walk you through the process, helping you build a bar or a shake that is specific to your liking.

If nutrition bars aren't your thing, there's the YouShake! You can design your shake the same way as you would for a bar and the options there seem endless as well!

The people at YouBar have generously offered a 10% discount off their You-Bars and You-Shakes when you place your order! Just type in "helene1" as your coupon code in the shopping cart.

Now, excuse me please.....I'm off to go build myself a "Happy, Healthy Helene" nutrition bar!! I hope you'll do the same....and come back and tell me what you named your bar and/or shake!